New modem and more. Five key iPhone 18 Pro features to expect in 2026
Five innovative features that will appear in the iPhone 18 Pro (photo: Pexels)
Although the iPhone 18 Pro models will appear in about a year and a half, the first rumors about these devices have already appeared, reports MacRumors.
Under-screen Face ID
In April 2023, display industry analyst Ross Young presented a roadmap according to which the iPhone 17 Pro would receive in-screen Face ID. However, in May 2024, he reported that this technology was postponed until 2026. If this is true, then under-screen Face ID will debut in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max next year.
Even with the advent of in-screen Face ID, the Dynamic Island is likely to remain, but it will become smaller. It is also possible that the iPhone 18 Pro will have only a small hole for the front camera, like the Google Pixel 9 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Android smartphones. However, there is no exact data yet.
Variable aperture
According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the main 48-megapixel Fusion camera in the iPhone 18 Pro models will receive a variable aperture.
This will allow users to manually adjust the amount of light passing through the camera lens. On the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro, the main camera has a fixed aperture of ƒ/1.78, which always remains fully open. In the iPhone 18 Pro, users will be able to change the aperture on their own.
The variable aperture will give you more control over the depth of field, affecting the difference between sharpness of the foreground object and blurring of the background. However, given the small size of the iPhone's sensors, it's unclear how significant this improvement will be.
iPhone 16 Pro camera design (Photo: MacRumors)
Camera sensor from Samsung
According to DigiTimes, Samsung is developing a new triple-layer stacked sensor for the camera, which is likely to appear in the iPhone 18 Pro. This sensor will make the camera faster and improve the quality of shooting by reducing noise and increasing dynamic range.
The technology is called "PD-TR-Logic" and includes three layers of circuits located on the sensor.
Previously, Sony was the only supplier of sensors for iPhone cameras, so Samsung's entry into this area is an important development. In July 2024, Ming-Chi Kuo said that Samsung would start supplying 48-megapixel sensors for Apple's ultra-wide-angle cameras in 2026, when the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to be released.
Touch sensor of the iPhone 12 Pro Max (photo: MacRumors)
C2 modem
Apple introduced its first proprietary C1 modem in the iPhone 16e as part of a long-term plan to phase out Qualcomm modems.
According to analyst Jeff Pu, the second generation, the C2 modem, will debut in the iPhone 18 Pro next year. It promises to be faster than the C1 and will also receive mmWave support in the US. Improvements in energy efficiency are also expected.
Apple C1 modem (photo: MacRumors)
A20 Pro chip with Apple Intelligence
The A20 Pro chip for the iPhone 18 Pro will be produced on TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, despite early rumors of 2-nm technology, according to analyst Jeff Pu. This is the same process that will be used for the A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro, so the performance gains in the iPhone 18 Pro may be minor.
One important update is expected, however: The A20 Pro will use TSMC's Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology. This will ensure tighter integration of the processor, shared memory, and neural engine, which will improve the performance of Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence (photo: MacRumors)
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